News Feature

Everyone from rock stars to nonagenarians experiences hearing loss, but no drugs have ever been approved specifically to prevent or treat this problem. Recently, a handful of drug companies have started to make some noise, with a number of experimental compounds now in human trials. Elie Dolgin sounds off on what could be a multibillion dollar market.

The long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have created greater awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition in which people relive the agony of past events over and over again. Preliminary evidence has hinted that medicines currently used to treat high blood pressure or to terminate pregnancy might help treat PTSD by erasing painful memories. Cassandra Willyard looks at whether repurposing these drugs will work or whether experimental compounds being tested in rats might offer a more promising solution.

Brain scans that map differences in how brain regions communicate while people lie idle in the imaging machine could one day provide clues about afflictions ranging from Alzheimer's disease to attention disorders. Roxanne Khamsi finds out why these so-called 'resting state' scans have made researchers and drug companies sit up and take notice.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death in the US among people under the age of 45. Yet psychiatrists know remarkably little about what treatments can most effectively prevent people from killing themselves. For the most part, investigators have shied away from studying the problem head-on because designing intervention studies with suicidal subjects is fraught with difficulty. Elie Dolgin talks to the small group of mental health professionals who are hoping to put an end to that.

Each year, around 100,000 people worldwide receive solid organ transplants, and from the day of their surgery to the day they die almost all of them have to take daily immunosuppressant drugs to prevent the body from attacking the new organ. But an experimental procedure in which patients receive some of the donor's bone marrow in addition to the organ hopes to eliminate the need for lifelong drug therapy. Elie Dolgin talks to the scientists who are rejecting the idea of transplantation as usual.

Scientists had long assumed that any genetic mutation that does not alter a protein sequence should have no impact on human health. But recent research has shown that such synonymous DNA changes can trigger disease in a number of ways. Alla Katsnelson talks to scientists and biotech companies who are speaking up about 'silent' mutations.

Two recently discovered genes involved in ALS could reveal the pathways that are central to the neurodegeneration caused by the disease. But as some researchers storm ahead suggesting treatments targeting these genes, others are questioning how relevant the reports are for nonheritable forms of the disease. Virginia Hughes investigates why the new findings seem to have struck a nerve in the ALS community.

A burst of research into the genetics of autism has given scientists insight into the basis for the disorder. Now, some companies aim to capitalize on these findings by developing DNA screens that might one day provide a diagnosis at birth. Hannah Waters examines the genetic tests and explores what parents—and their autistic children—have to gain.

Many of today's most celebrated drugs are designed to hit only one biological target with great precision. But a novel clinical trial aims to turn this idea on its head by using 'network pharmacology' to more effectively tackle a common neurological disorder affecting limb movement. Claire Ainsworth looks into how medicine's proverbial 'magic bullet' might soon give way to a more sophisticated arsenal.

More than a decade after Japanese scientists implanted the first bioengineered blood vessel into a child with a congenital heart defect, the experimental treatment has finally made its way into clinical testing in the US. Elie Dolgin asks what took so long and what lessons have been learned along the way.

There are no magic bullets in the fight against cancer. But by targeting proteins found almost exclusively in tumor cells and the testes, researchers may have discovered the closest thing yet. Megan Scudellari explores how a handful of young investigators hope to turn magic into reality.

International collaborations are common in science. But some researchers go one step further, holding formal appointments in two (or more) countries—in some cases, on opposite sides of the globe. Cassandra Willyard examines what researchers have to gain from such far-flung arrangements.

A group of scientists and dedicated women are participating in rigorous research to uncover secrets of a less-high-profile part of the microbiome. The goal: to learn more about a vaginal disease that most people have never heard of but affects millions of women each year with potentially life-threatening consequences to their unborn children. Alison McCook reports on the unique challenges of developing treatments for a condition with a feminine mystique.

Countless technologies aim to give scientists accurate readouts of the key components of biological samples from patients. But what if it's better to listen to a sample than to look at it? Elie Dolgin visits one company that's adapting a vibration detector developed for telecommunication satellites to make what could be the most sensitive commercial biosensor ever built.

Basic laboratory procedures can present physical challenges for biomedical researchers with disabilities. But a cadre of innovators has come up with technological solutions that make the laboratory bench more accessible to scientists with impaired sight or movement. Stu Hutson reports on how these adaptive research tools help people with disabilities by using everything from computer screen readers to security lasers.

An indigestion drug blamed for a debilitating illness that affected thousands of people in the 1950s has been resurrected as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease. But not everyone is cheering for the drug, clioquinol, to make a comeback. Lauren Cahoon reports.

A growing body of evidence supports the idea that some infectious diseases have a heritable component, a notion put forth by none other than Louis Pasteur. As scientists begin to catalog the genetic changes that predispose people to specific illnesses, they are also exploring how to prevent sickness by replacing the missing parts of the immune system's defensive armor. Laura Spinney reports.

For many years, epidemiologists have linked sleep deprivation to poor health. Now, even as the average amount of shuteye people get continues to diminish, new evidence from biological research helps explain how missing out on sleep might contribute to obesity and diabetes. Cassandra Willyard asks what happens when we ignore the sandman.